


What If the Last Sentence of the Story Was 4 Paragraphs Long Instead?

by hamadayum



Category: The Sniper - Liam O'Flaherty
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, English, Gen, Mild Blood, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 20:44:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13555233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamadayum/pseuds/hamadayum
Summary: A bit of English homework that I did when I was in 3rd year. We read the story but the last sentence ("Then the sniper turned over the dead body and looked into his brother's face") was not included, and our teacher told us to write what we thought would be the ending for the story. This is what I wrote.





	What If the Last Sentence of the Story Was 4 Paragraphs Long Instead?

He continued to lay beside the corpse, hardly daring to breathe. He strained to hear any indications of oncoming enemies over the sound of his rapidly beating heart, but there were none. He was safe for now.

The sniper for into a kneeling position, examining the body in front of him. His head was facing away from him at an awkward angle, and from his gunshot wound seeped a glistening crimson puddle that stained his uniform jacket. It was the fall that most likely finished him off, the sniper theorised.

While his curiosity was still present, something in the back of the sniper's mind made him hesitate. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly was bothering him about this, but the hand on his functioning arm shook as he gripped the shoulder of the dead man, readying himself to roll the body over to get a proper look at his face. He looked at the rapidly rising sun, a stark reminder that he didn't have much time to make a decision. He set his eyes back onto the body, took a deep breath, and turned it over.

He felt like he had been thrown into icy water. He froze as the corpse's cold, empty but familiar eyes met his. The blood had drained from his skin, giving him an eerie, ghostlike appearance. The sniper had seen several people -- both Free Staters and Republicans alike -- meet their fates before, but this one shook him to his very core. He didn't know how to process this. He could only stare at the deceased man's face as it all started to sink in.

This moment was interrupted by a hand on the sniper's shoulder. He could make out the voice of his company commander, but the words fell on deaf ears. He helped the sniper up onto his feet and started ushering him in the direction of the Republican base infirmary. The sniper followed, trying to clear his thoughts, but the only thing he could think about was the body. He didn't need to look back or say his final goodbye, as the image of his best friend's lifeless features would forever be burned into his memories.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, hope you enjoyed this little ficlet! Maybe I'll post fanfiction for more popular fandoms one day, but I don't know, I get kind of nervous about posting fics ^-^"


End file.
